'Did not realise': Arne Slot says Liverpool are now 'profiting' from mistake made by Ajax last year
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It’s safe to say Arne Slot has taken the Premier League by storm since replacing Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss.
The Dutchman has spearheaded the Reds to the top of the league standings and has settled in seamlessly at Anfield.
While the likes of Sipke Hulshoff and Ruben Peeters joined him from Feyenoord, John Heitinga was appointed as assistant manager earlier in the summer as Slot made key additions to the Liverpool backroom staff.
And now, the Dutchman has made an interesting admission on Heitinga, who has earned rave reviews for his time at the club so far.
Arne Slot highlights John Heitinga’s importance to Liverpool
Slot lavished praise on Heitinga before Liverpool’s Carabao Cup clash against Southampton, admitting that the young coach has exceeded his expectations so far at Anfield.
Heitinga enjoyed a decorated playing career for club and country but is still a relative newcomer on the managerial front, having most recently served as West Ham United’s assistant manager under David Moyes.
In 2023, he also served as Ajax’s manager after they parted ways with Alfred Schreuder, with Maurice Steijn replacing him for the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
Slot feels the Eredivisie giants made a big mistake in not appointing Heitinga as head coach permanently, although he feels that decision has worked out favourably for him as the Dutchman is now working with him at Liverpool.
"Sven Mislintat did not choose Heitinga as head coach at the time and he left Ajax for that reason,” said Slot to AD.
“Liverpool is now profiting from that. Apparently they did not realize in Amsterdam that they had an excellent coach in-house."
What did Slot say after hiring Heitinga?
Heitinga knows the Premier League well, having represented the likes of Everton and Fulham during his playing career in England.
He also worked alongside Moyes at West Ham, which would have allowed him to gain a lot of knowledge from such an experienced coach.
When quizzed about Heitinga’s appointment at the start of the season, Slot highlighted the Dutchman’s Premier League experience as the main reason behind his arrival.
"John has played many games in the Premier League and last season he was an assistant coach at West Ham, so brings experience as a player, but also as an assistant in this league.
"He worked with someone that I know really well, and the two of us have quite a similar playing style, so I think it's not going to take long for him to understand exactly what we want with the players."
